A defined three-member synthetic bacterial consortium composed of Rhodococcus opacus DSM 43250, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, and Pseudomonas sp. VLB120 for aerobic degradation of CARBOLIQ-derived plastic pyrolysis oil waste in a 2-nonanone organic-aqueous biphasic system. The consortium was rationally assembled to couple long-chain alkane degradation with aromatic-catabolism and solvent-tolerance functions, and its highest measured activity used an initial R. opacus:P. putida:VLB120 ratio of 1:1:2 at 30 C, 1:5 organic-to-aqueous phase ratio, and 20% v/v PPOW in the organic phase.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodococcus opacus DSM 43250 — ontology label: Rhodococcus opacus | NCBITaxon:37919 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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| Pseudomonas putida KT2440 | NCBITaxon:160488 · TaxonMech · TraitMech |
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
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N/A |
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| Pseudomonas sp. VLB120 — ontology label: Pseudomonas sp. | NCBITaxon:306 · TaxonMech · TraitMech | N/A | |
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Ecological Interactions
The graph shows only explicitly linked interaction participants. Community members without an asserted participant link are omitted; membership alone does not imply an interaction.
PPOW aliphatic-aromatic division of labor
NICHE_PARTITIONINGHYPOTHESIZED: The PPOW SynCom was interpreted as a functionally complementary consortium in which R. opacus DSM 43250 drives long-chain C10-C28 alkane degradation while the two Pseudomonas members contribute aromatic catabolism and solvent-stress tolerance. The source leaves the exact mechanism unresolved, so this is modeled at community scope. Bulk removal and respiratory measurements are positive community observations, not direct member-resolved substrate allocation or metabolite exchange. The source also contradicts itself about abiotic and heat-killed controls, so the causal interpretation remains PARTIAL.
Participating Taxa: Rhodococcus opacus DSM 43250, Pseudomonas putida KT2440, Pseudomonas sp. VLB120
Metabolites: alkane (CHEBI:18310 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech), naphthalene (CHEBI:16482 · MediaIngredientMech · CMMMech)
Biological Processes:
- xenobiotic metabolic process (GO:0006805 · PathwayMech)
- alkane catabolic process (GO:0043448 · PathwayMech)
Evidence
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PMID:42491060 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"Rhodococcus opacus DSM 43250 serves as the principal driver for long-chain alkane (C10-C28) degradation"
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PMID:42491060 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"P. putida KT2440 targets aromatic fractions, while Pseudomonas sp. VLB120 confers significant solvent tolerance"
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PMID:42491060 - PARTIAL (IN_VITRO)"Although the specific mechanism remains unclear, we infer that the high degradation efficiency achieved in this study stems from rational functional complementarity among the consortium members"
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PMID:42491060 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)"With the exception of toluol, the removal rates for more than a dozen substances with relatively high concentrations in the waste all exceeded 50%"
Knowledge gaps & discussions (2)
KNOWLEDGE_GAP OPEN Which direct substrates and intermediates are consumed by each of R. opacus DSM 43250, P. putida KT2440, and Pseudomonas sp. VLB120 during optimized PPOW degradation?
The source proposes an alkane, aromatic, and solvent-tolerance division of labor after process optimization but explicitly says the specific mechanism remains unclear; resolving the gap could turn the community-level niche-partitioning model into direct member-metabolite assertions.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#PPOW aliphatic-aromatic division of labor
1 proposed experiment(s)
Approach: isotope-assisted metabolomics with monoculture and leave-one-out SynCom controls
Decision: Compound-specific uptake or intermediate buildup is assigned reproducibly to one member or a member pair under the same biphasic PPOW conditions.
2 evidence item(s)
Although the specific mechanism remains unclear, we infer that the high degradation efficiency achieved in this study stems from rational functional complementarity among the consortium members
Supports leaving the exact interaction mechanism as a knowledge gap.
Further studies should aim to understand the mechanisms of synergistic interactions within the bacterial consortium
Confirms that the publication leaves the strain-resolved mechanism unresolved.
CONTROVERSY OPEN How should the contradictory primary-source reporting of abiotic and heat-killed controls be reconciled?
Methods2.4 reports heat-killed controls and subtraction of abiotic removal, whereas the conclusion says these controls are lacking. Retain the reported positive bulk-removal result while flagging the unresolved source inconsistency; do not claim either adequately established control performance or complete control absence. The existing member-mechanism gap remains open, and inferred cross-feeding is not promoted to a directed edge. The abstract/main-text concentration-unit discrepancy is separately tracked under issue1753.
Attaches to: ecological_interactions#PPOW aliphatic-aromatic division of labor
2 evidence item(s)
heat-killed controls were prepared by autoclaving the inoculum
Methods2.4 says heat-killed controls were included; this conflicts with the conclusion.
We acknowledge that this study lacks abiotic and heat-killed controls
The conclusion contradicts Methods2.4; neither statement alone resolves actual control performance.
External Resources
| Name | Repository | Resource ID |
|---|---|---|
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Primary publication - PPOW SynCom
Primary Frontiers in Microbiology article, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2026.1817874, reporting the optimized Rhodococcus-Pseudomonas synthetic consortium for plastic pyrolysis oil waste biodegradation. |
OTHER | PMID:42491060 |
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Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
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| Optimized incubation temperature | 30 | C |
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| Optimized organic-to-aqueous phase ratio | 1:5 | organic:aqueous phase ratio |
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| Optimized PPOW organic-phase loading | 20 | % vol/vol of organic phase |
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| Optimized R. opacus:P. putida:VLB120 inoculum ratio | 1:1:2 | OD600-normalized strain ratio |
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Growth Media
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